WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty ImagesEven a princess can commit a fashion faux pas—unwittingly, of course.
On Sept. 16, Kate Middleton and Prince William thought they were dressing festively and appropriately for a party in the Solomon Islands. Unknowingly, however, the 30-year-old couple donned a dress and shirt from Cook Islands (located nearly 3,000 miles away from the Solomon Islands) and offended the locals.
A Clarence House spokesperson explained to E! News how the style snafu happened, saying: "Items of clothing were left in The Duke and Duchess's hotel room as had previously been agreed with the Solomon Island Government (SIG). Given that the items were not of the same design as the Royal Household had been informed previously, the Duke and Duchess's staff undertook to check that the items of clothing were indeed the gifts of the Government and not a gift from any other individual."
"Once the necessary reassurances were received from the Government, mistakenly as it later appeared, Their Royal Highnesses wore the shirt and the dress as an appropriate gesture befitting their close ties to the people of Solomon Islands," continued the statement.
"The situation arose through no fault of Solomon Island Government or the Royal Household," added the spokesperson. "The original gifts [the shirts] are now with The Duke and will be kept by him for personal use, as a memento of his and The Duchess's wonderful time on Solomon Islands."
We knew Kate herself couldn't be responsible for any type of fashion misstep.
—Reporting by Marcus Mulick